Netflix + Balaji + Anurag’s Outburst: When Sacred Games Gave Way to Saas-Bahu in 4K

On 7th June 2025, Netflix announced a shiny new partnership with Balaji Telefilms, helmed by the queen of Indian soaps, Ekta Kapoor. According to the official statement, this alliance will “usher in a new era” of Indian storytelling for global audiences.

And somewhere in a parallel universe, Gaitonde just rolled his eyes.

Just days before this announcement, director Anurag Kashyap called Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos “the definition of dumb”—a brutal mic-drop moment rooted in the OTT giant’s messy breakup with India’s most iconic original: Sacred Games. And now, with Netflix tying the knot with Balaji, Kashyap’s rage feels… prophetic.

Let’s rewind: Sacred Games was a cultural shift. It wasn’t just a gritty cop drama—it was Indian OTT’s Big Bang. Gaitonde, Sartaj, Trivedi—all became part of our collective internet memory. It pushed boundaries, played with form, and dared to be political. It proved Indian content could be complex and global.

But instead of building on that creative high, Netflix bailed. In the pursuit of scale and mass-market reach, they leaned into “safe” content. And nothing says safe like Balaji Telefilms: tried, tested, tearjerking soapland.

This partnership might win hearts across small towns, but it also signals a chilling shift. Global audiences don’t want an NRI-exported Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi. They want stories that feel rooted, raw, and real—like Delhi Crime, Trial By Fire, or yes, Sacred Games.

Kashyap’s outburst wasn’t ego—it was warning. A warning against the creeping return of formula-driven TV culture, now dressed in glossy OTT budgets.

If Netflix India wants to shape the future, it needs to rediscover its past—the boldness of Sacred Games, not the predictability of parivaar politics.